A major change is gradually approaching for all commuters who use the Bay Area's eight toll bridges where drivers have been stopping to pay toll takers for 85 years.

Bay Area drivers started paying bridge tolls in May of 1927 when the Carquinez Bridge first opened. Toll takers in those days had enough time to have conversations with drivers.

But those days are gone. The last of the toll takers is now officially in sight as the bridges move towards complete automation.  

Instead of having live toll takers to pay at the Golden Gate Bridge, drivers who don’t have Fastrak will have images of their license plates captured by cameras. Computers will then match those with DMV data and bills will be sent to the driver’s home or office.

Drivers with Fastrak will continue to pay through their credit cards.

"We're saving a lot of money," said Golden Gate Bridge District Spokeswoman Mary Currie. "Right now, projections are once we're up and running we'll save about $16 million in 10 years."

There may also be options to pay in other ways, such as through pre-bought debit cards at the local drug store.

All these changes are scheduled to take place on the Golden Gate Bridge almost exactly a year from now.

The shift has bigger ramifications for the other seven toll bridges around the bay run by Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority.

Officials at both bridge organizations said the commute will likely be faster with no stopping and paying toll with a human toll taker.

"The goal here is to have the most efficient system we can have," Bay Area Toll Authority spokesman Randy Rentschler.

When pressed for a date when all the state-owned toll bridges will follow the Golden Gate's lead and stop using toll takers altogether Rentschler would only say "We're a couple of years away."

In a recent public meeting, an official said the last toll taker to collect the last toll by hand could be in 2014.

We asked the labor union representing the toll takers for their perspective. Union leaders in sacramento refused to comment or make any toll taker available to KTVU.

In addition, when KTVU started reporting this story earlier in February, Caltrans made their toll takers sign a document the state called "Deputy Directive 19."

The document prohibits toll takers from talking to KTVU.

But Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Currie said the reaction of toll takers losing their jobs is no secret.

"Absolutely. The union and the workers, more importantly, are not happy about being put out of work," said Currie.

The toll booths on the Golden Gate Bridge will likely remain in place, but insiders said the Bay Area's other toll bridges will likely not need toll booths in the future once the toll takers are removed.